Tablet Woven 14th Century Belt

For the seventh challenge of the HSF I decided to make a new 14th century belt. I have wanted a cloth belt for some time, and bought a small buckle for it almost two years ago. Last week I read about a black belt, and saw the tablet woven belts in Textiles and Clothing, and finally it clicked. I wanted a black, tablet woven wool belt.

After weaving for a few centimetres I split the warp in two, and wove each one

separately for a little bit: this hole is where the pin in the buckle goes through.

I don’t know if this is period, but I think it’s plausible, and it looks nice.

I wanted to use materials I already had, and I didn’t want a true black belt, but rather a naturally black one, like you’d get from using wool from a black sheep. Luckily I had very dark grey knitting wool, but it was a little thicker than I wanted it. After warping half the number of threads needed, I had to split every thread in two for it to work.

Even simple toolscan get the job done: my tablets are made

from cardboard, and the warp is attached to a belt at my waist on one end,

and at the other to any convenient spot where I happen to be

(like my big toe, the head rest of a car when traveling, or the drawer of my desk).

Threading and weaving was a straight forward enough business: twelve tablets, all four holes threaded. I started warping on Monday evening, and on Friday evening I was done weaving. The belt is a little thinner than I’d have wished: I wanted it eleven millimetres wide, but it turned out only nine millimetres, a little too small for most strap ends on the market. I thought I could have used a couple of more tablets even when warping, but I was too lazy to look for the missing ones, or make new ones, so it’s my own fault. Never mind: I like it anyway, simple as it is.

The Challenge: #7 Accessorise

Fabric: Wool 4 ply (fingering) knitting yarn.Pattern: None, though leaning on what information can be found in Textiles and Clothing.Year: Late 14th century.Notions: NoneHow historically accurate is it? Pretty much I think: tablet woven wool belts did exist, and the buckle is a reproduction.Hours to complete: Maybe seven or eight.First worn: For the picture.Total cost: None at this time as I have had all the materials for some time.

Now I need to find a strap end I like of the right width, which might prove a challenge in itself.

3 thoughts on “Tablet Woven 14th Century Belt”

This is such a breakthrough idea! I haven't been able to afford a leather belt, yet woven look so boorish. This is a happy medium.This looks very cool, and could be used in daily wear as well.You are right, it may be challenging to find a narrow belt cap. But it should be fairly simple to make one from a can. Here's a link: go to reenactorsworld.de,select Schnallen,Nesteln,Knöpfe from a menu left hand side,then scroll down to “Riemenzunge Modell 2”. It's simple and pretty. It fits to 1,6cm, but could it be fashioned smaller?

Anyway, I have read your blog for years, but now I finally have a blog of my own and can comment you.